# Manchester East (UK Parliament constituency)

Manchester East was one of six single-member parliamentary constituencies created in 1885 by the division of the existing three-member Parliamentary Borough of Manchester. The others were: Manchester South, Manchester North, Manchester North East, Manchester North West and Manchester South West. They were all abolished in 1918.

## Boundaries

The constituency was created by the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and was defined as consisting of the following areas:
* The Parish of Bradford,
* The Parish of Ardwick,
* The Parish of Beswick,
* The part of the Parish of Chorlton-upon-Medlock north of the centres of Cavendish Street, Grosvenor Street, Upper Brook Street, Dover Street, St. Leonards Street, and Cheltenham Street.
The next redistribution took place under the terms of the Representation of the People Act 1918. The Manchester East seat was divided between the two new constituencies of Manchester Ardwick and Manchester Clayton.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1885 | Arthur Balfour | Conservative |
| 1906 | Thomas Horridge | Liberal |
| Jan. 1910 | John Edward Sutton | Labour |
| 1918 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Election results 1885-1918
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: Manchester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Balfour | 4,536 | 55.0 | |
| | Liberal | Alfred Hopkinson | 3,712 | 45.0 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 824 | 10.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,248 | 84.3 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,779 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
General election 1886: Manchester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Balfour | 4,160 | 54.2 | −0.8 |
| | Liberal | John Hattersley Crosfield | 3,516 | 45.8 | +0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 644 | 8.4 | −1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,676 | 78.5 | −5.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,779 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -0.8 | |
Balfour was appointed Secretary of State for Scotland, requiring a by-election.
By-election, 11 Aug 1886: Manchester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Balfour | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: Manchester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Balfour | 5,147 | 52.0 | −2.2 |
| | Liberal | Joseph Edwin Crawford Munro | 4,749 | 48.0 | +2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 398 | 4.0 | −4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,896 | 86.7 | +8.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,418 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −2.2 | |
Balfour was appointed First Lord of the Treasury, requiring a by-election.
1895 Manchester East by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Balfour | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Conservative hold |
General election 1895: Manchester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Balfour | 5,386 | 53.9 | +1.9 |
| | Liberal | Joseph Edwin Crawford Munro | 4,610 | 46.1 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 776 | 7.8 | +3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,996 | 83.4 | −3.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,991 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +1.9 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: Manchester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Arthur Balfour | 5,803 | 63.4 | +9.5 |
| | Liberal | Alfred Scott | 3,350 | 36.6 | −9.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,453 | 26.8 | +19.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,153 | 71.9 | −11.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,727 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +9.5 | |
General election 1906: Manchester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Thomas Horridge | 6,403 | 59.1 | +22.5 |
| | Conservative | Arthur Balfour | 4,423 | 40.9 | −22.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,980 | 18.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,826 | 85.1 | +13.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,724 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +22.5 | |
This was a notable result as Arthur Balfour had led the Conservative Party into the 1906 general election as leader. He therefore became the first leader of the opposition to lose his seat.

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: Manchester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Sutton | 6,110 | 54.5 | New |
| | Conservative | Edward Elvy Robb | 5,091 | 45.5 | +4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,019 | 9.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,201 | 88.6 | +3.5 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
General election December 1910: Manchester East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Sutton | 5,524 | 54.3 | −0.2 |
| | Conservative | Richard Gregory Proby | 4,653 | 45.7 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 871 | 8.6 | −0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,177 | 80.5 | −6.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -0.2 | |
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Labour: John Sutton
* Unionist: Gerald Hurst